to haunt them. u.s. andthetaliban. >>ifill: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> oil companies have changed my country. >> oil companies can make a difference. >> we have the chance to build the economy. >> create jobs, keep people healthy, and improve schools. >> ...and our communities. >> in angola chevron helps train engineers, teachers and farmers, launch child's programs. >> it's not just good business. >> i'm hopeful about my country's future. >> it's my country's future. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy, productive life. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: with little more than a week until the debt ceiling deadline, lawmakers on both sides of capitol hill offered competing plans today on how to avert a crisis. and late today,

compound. it's thethirdtalibanattackon an afghan powerbroker in the south in more than two weeks. the new u.s. ambassador to afghanistan ryan crocker said it's proof the taliban is so damaged, it can't carry out large-scale operations. he spoke today in kabul. >> they've had to kind of regroup and figure out what they can do and, in some cases, that has been assassination. we saw a very similar pattern in iraq. clearly, these are horrific attacks but they can also be interpreted as a sign of significant organizational weakness. >> sreenivasan: a taliban spokesman told the associated press the kandahar mayor was targeted for ordering the destruction of homes city officials claimed were illegally constructed. two children were killed during that demolition. the prime minister of norway today announced an independent commission will review how last week's twin attacks were allowed to happen. and more details emerged about the self-confessed killer, who is in police custody. we have a report from carl dinnen of "independent television news." >> reporter: by the side of the lake, a sh

.thetalibanclaimedresponsibility for it all. ten children were among the dead, and so was a bbc journalist. it is the latest uptick in violence in the south following the killing of afghan president hamid karzai's half-brother on july 12. a twin bombing at a bank in northern iraq today killed a dozen people. a suicide bomber and car blast rocked the city of tikrit, as iraqi policemen and security forces were picking up their paychecks. thick smoke could be seen billowing from the scene of the explosions. more than 30 people were wounded. it's the fourth major attack on the city so far this year. the head of the rebel armed forces in libya and two of his aides were killed today. the head of the national transitional council announced the deaths and said abdel fattah younis was killed by gunmen while on his way to questioning over a military matter. younnis was moammar qaddafi's interior minister before defecting early in the libyan uprising. there was heavy fighting in somalia's capital today, with a half dozen people killed. the african union launched a new operation to protect famine reli

talibaninsurgentsclaimed another high- profile assassination. a close aide to afghan president hamid karzai was killed sunday in a gunbattle at his home in kabul. it followed the murder of karzai's half-brother last week. for more on afghanistan we turn to pam constable, who covers south asia for the "washington post." pam, thanks for being with us. the series of high profile assassinations have picca off important targets as well. one of the former governors of a province. why is it significant? >> well, particularly in light of the fact that it came so quickly after the assassination of the half brother of president karzai who was killed in kandahar just days before this, the killing of this former governor in another southern province along with another guy who was also close to the president, this is cumulatively speaking, it's a big blow for the karzai administration. you know, it'sçç confidant, relatives, high-level aides going back into april some of them are being killed. but more than who is doing it or who it's happening to, i would put it altogether by saying it's a re